Recovering from depression requires a multifaceted approach. Many people begin by talking to their family doctor and often are prescribed medications for depression. This is a very good start, but this one piece is not enough to complete the puzzle of a full recovery from depression.

Consider the metaphor of a wheel on a bicycle: it has many spokes. All the spokes must be present for the wheel to function properly.

It’s the same with healing from depression.

There are many spokes. In other words, a complete healing from depression requires that many aspects are in place. It’s only when these are addressed that recovery can be achieved.

Here are some of those aspects in no order:

1. Medication

Your family practitioner or internist can prescribe medications for depression; however, a psychiatrist is the recommended specialist for these types of drugs. A thorough evaluation by a psychiatrist will ensure you are on the correct medication. You may not even need medication, but it’s always a good idea to be evaluated to rule it out.

2. Counseling

Research has shown the benefits of counseling for dealing with depression. Usually medication alone will not do the trick. There is no substitute for a one-on-one therapeutic relationship with a qualified, licensed therapist. Find a therapist that you feel comfortable with and trust.

3. Medical Evaluation

A thorough medical evaluation with blood tests to rule out other causes is needed. There are some medical conditions—such as thyroid issues and anemia—that can mimic depression. See your family doctor or an internist to rule out these and any others.

4. Nutrition

A healthy & balanced diet of unprocessed foods is a good start. You need to have the proper amounts of carbohydrate, protein, and healthy fats. Speak with a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or naturopathic doctor. Supplements, herbals, and vitamins/minerals—such as Vitamin D, B Vitamins, and fish oil—may be needed.

5. Social Support & Relationships

Healthy, supportive relationships go a long way in recovering from depression. It may seem difficult to reach out to friends and family during this time, but it’s crucial. Find a support group or inquire with a faith community about resources that are available for you to build friendships.

6. Life Purpose

Having a purpose in life is necessary to feel positive and good about yourself and your future. Additionally, it can instill hope for the future. If you struggle in this area, a counselor or life coach can be a valuable resource. Try volunteer work as a start. It’s difficult to feel down about yourself when you are serving those in need.

If you think you might be depressed or are having trouble addressing all the aspects above, I can help. As a licensed professional counselor with specific training and experience in working will all types of depression, I am available to get you on the healing path.

Are you trying to make changes in your life right now?This is certainly the time of year when people begin a new diet plan or exercise regimen, vow to stop smoking or drinking, or discontinue some other undesirable habit.But making permanent lifestyle changes is difficult to say the least.Many people try and fail over and over again.This gets frustrating and ultimately evokes hopelessness.A lot of people eventually give up trying to change their behaviors.Making lifestyle changes that stick will take more than just vowing to change or setting a resolution to change.Here are a few tips to get you started:

·Set small, achievable goals that will eventually lead you to make the big changes you desire.This involves breaking down the process, which can be overwhelming and difficult for many.Think about the smallest and easiest things you can do first and build from there.

·Explore your expectations and develop realistic ones.Many people have very high expectations for themselves when they set out to make big changes.All or nothing thinking is very common here.Be honest with yourself about what you can reasonably expect.

·Build a support system and engage these people in your life.This might be an accountability partner, a support group, a counselor, a nutritionist, a trainer, or other professional.The more people you have in various areas of your life, the better.You will need support.Very few people can make difficult changes alone.Also, remember to not engage those who are unsupportive.This means you will have to determine the difference between the supportive and unsupportive people in your life, and then be intentional about whom you surround yourself.

If any of these three tips seems too difficult to tackle, a trained professional counselor can help get you started on the right path!Making an investment in therapy can have big payoffs for the long haul.

Right now we are in the midst of the holiday season.You may be caught up in the frenzy of shopping, going to social events, getting your holiday cards in the mail, traveling, or the endless planning, cooking and baking that is accustom for this time of the year.After the New Year has come and all of the decorations are finally put away, many people experience a post holiday letdown, possibly even strong enough to be a depression.In fact, studies show that as many as 25% of people suffer from a mild to moderate depression after the holidays.The extra support you may have felt from friends and family during the holidays is gone as people return to their usual lives.The focus and attention on others shifts to you and your usual life again and this may bring feelings of unhappiness and stress.Or, perhaps expectations of the holiday season weren’t realized.If you are one of the many who experience the post holiday blues, here are some tips to help you get through it:

·Shift your focus on a new activity or hobby for the winter months

·Invite friends for dinner or a game night

·Volunteer or participate in a service project to help others

·Initiate with friends to go out and do something fun or new

·Spend some time with family or friends reflecting on the holiday season

·Replace holiday decorations with fresh flowers or plants

·Set resolutions or goals and make a plan to accomplish them, being gentle with yourself in the process

If you know that you tend to experience a big letdown after the holiday season, have a plan in place for what you will do.This will go a long way in helping you avoid post holiday depression.Remember to continue attending therapy appointments and support groups. Or, maybe it is time to seek professional help to change this pattern.

If you suffer from a chronic illness, physical condition or pain, you have probably heard some semblance of the words “but you don’t look sick” at one time or another. It’s frustrating and annoying to say the least. Those of us who live with a chronic health condition often find ourselves being misunderstood by others who see us as looking normal, and seem to find it hard to believe we are struggling physically. To make matters worse, sometimes this affects us at work with our co-workers or employers who do not understand the energy it takes us on a day to day basis to simply maintain ‘normal’ functioning.

Truthfully, most chronic conditions can appear “invisible” to others until they have reached end-stage. Thus, living with a chronic health condition may involve years of unempathic, invalidating responses and looks from friends, people in public, co-workers and even family members. This takes an emotional toll after a while and is draining and stressful in an already taxing situation. Autoimmune diseases are especially vulnerable to being misunderstood and minimized by others. Some health conditions that are often “invisible” to others are Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, Lupus, Multiple Sclerosis, Celiac Disease, Sleep Disorders, Thyroid Disease, and there are MANY more. Please leave a comment if you know of one I didn’t list.

Christine Miserandino is an award winning author and blogger and she also suffers from Lupus. She wrote this amazing explanation of what it’s like to live with a chronic illness. It’s called “The Spoon Theory” and you’ll understand why after you read it. If you have friends or family members who don’t understand what you deal with on a day to day basis, try explaining the spoon theory to them.

Gratitude and appreciation can be healing and increase your overall happiness.Research by psychologists recently has found that intentionally incorporating thankfulness into your life causes an improvement in mood and well-being.It’s a shift in the way you see things, and changes you from a glass half empty to a glass half full person.It sounds overly simplistic, but it works.

One way to do this is to keep a gratitude journal.This has been found to make people generally happier.One can see a change within a matter of a few weeks of doing this.A gratitude journal or appreciation diary is easier than you might think.Write down 3-5 things that you appreciate in your journal at least once or twice per week.You don’t even have to make an entry every day.Keep it short if you like or maybe write a few sentences about what you appreciate and how it came about.Simple and basic things are fine to record, like a day with good weather, or finding a parking space quickly, or smooth traffic during your commute.Noticing the positive details in your life and making a journal entry does wonders.

Writing about positive things in your life in this way begins to change your overall thinking patterns.The more details you include, the more powerful the effect will be.You will soon notice there is more good in the world than you once thought.Another positive effect is beginning to attract more positive people into your life and more positive situations.

Have you ever experienced a traumatic or extremely disappointing event in your life? Maybe you lost a loved one or special friend unexpectantly; or a significant relationship ended and you were devastated. Often times, we seek to understand the purpose of these painful events. We may have many unanswered questions about the hurtful event. As we experience the grief and begin to heal, we think surely there is a greater purpose for this and it will be revealed to us soon. We keep searching, seeking, and analyzing it. We reason with ourselves that we will finally be over it and completely healed once we understand it fully. We believe that we will eventually receive new information about why it had to happen or what caused it. But, what if this never comes about? Resentment may set in. We may remain stuck in the grieving process, not able to fully resolve the feelings within us, because we cannot comprehend ‘why’. We may be unable to move forward in some aspect of our lives as a result.

The truth is we don’t always need to know the deeper meaning of everything that happens in our lives in order to get resolution. It’s true that our life experiences, whether positive or negative are our teachers. As we journey through our lives, we learn lessons, grow, and mature as a result of our experiences. As we try to discern what we are learning, sometimes it is very clear. Having clarity can be comforting, even when the lessons are difficult and cause us great pain, because we see how they ultimately benefit us. Other times, we have to search for longer and go deeper to gain understanding. There also comes a point in which it is time to simply let go, realizing we may never get the answers we seek. Letting go and moving forward can be difficult, but necessary in the healing process. It is possible that we are never meant to know the deeper meaning of certain life occurrences.

The thought of completely letting go without having the satisfaction of true understanding can be quite overwhelming. A trained counselor can help you get past your stuck places, process and heal. In fact, some traumatic events require the assistance of a counselor in order to gain complete healing and resolution. Some things you can do on your own to begin the letting go process are:

Write a letter that you don’t mail to the significant person associated with your traumatic event

Make a final entry in your journal on the subject, thanking it for being part of your experience